different between caisson vs saucer

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French caisson. Doublet of cassone.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?ke?s(?)n/
• (US) IPA^(key): [?ke?s?n], [?ke?sn?]

Noun

caisson (plural caissons)

1. (engineering) An enclosure from which water can be expelled, in order to give access to underwater areas for engineering works etc.
   • 2003, Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything, BCA, p. 213:

     Caissons were enclosed dry chambers built on river beds to facilitate the construction of bridge piers.

2. The gate across the entrance to a dry dock.
3. (nautical) A floating tank that can be submerged, attached to an underwater object and then pumped out to lift the object by buoyancy; a camel.
4. (military) A two-wheeled, horse-drawn military vehicle used to carry ammunition (and a coffin at funerals).
5. (military) A large box to hold ammunition.
6. (military) A chest filled with explosive materials, used like a mine.
7. (architecture) A coffer.

Derived terms

• caisson disease

Coordinate terms

• cofferdam, a similar temporary structure

Translations

Anagrams

• Caisons, assicon, casinos, cassino, cassoni

French

Etymology

From Old Occitan caisson, from caissa; synchronically analysable as caisse +? -on.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?.s??/

Noun

caisson m (plural caissons)

1. box

Derived terms

• maladie des caissons

See also

• boîte f

Further reading

• “caisson” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• casinos, casions

English

Etymology

From Middle English saucer, from Old French saussier (and feminine saussiere; hence modern French saucier m, saucière f).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s??.s?/
• Rhymes: -??s?(r)
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?s?.s??/, /?s?.s??/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /?s?.s??/

Noun

saucer (plural saucers)

1. A small shallow dish to hold a cup and catch drips.
2. An object round and gently curved (shaped like a saucer).

3. (obsolete) A small pan or vessel in which sauce was set on a table.

   • Take two saucers , and strike the edge of the one against the bottom of the other , within a pail of water ; and you shall find , that as you put the saucers lower and lower , the sound groweth more flat

4. A flat, shallow caisson for raising sunken ships.
5. A shallow socket for the pivot of a capstan.

Related terms

• flying saucer
• sauce
• saucer eyes

Translations

Verb

saucer (third-person singular simple present saucers, present participle saucering, simple past and past participle saucered)

1. (transitive) To pour (tea, etc.) from the cup into the saucer in order to cool it before drinking.

Anagrams

• SACEUR, Surace, causer, cesura

Middle English

Alternative forms

• sauser, sawcer, sawcere, sawser, sawsere, sawcyr, sawsyr, sawsser

Etymology

From Old French saussier (and feminine saussiere); equivalent to sauce +? -er.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?sau?s?r(?)/

Noun

saucer (plural saucers)

1. A small receptacle or bowl for storing sauce in.
2. A small plate, bowl, or dish; a saucer.

Descendants

• English: saucer
• Scots: saucer

References

• “saucer(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-12-09.